We have also begun work over the last couple of weeks on another Allied SuperSlab in Renwick. Along with the main floor area we are also constructing an internal lap pool and pool room slab. The pool walls are built from concrete filled polystyrene blocks. Easy and quick to install and providing good insulation.

After  two weeks on site we are well under way with preparation of the Allied SuperSlab floor. Partly retained by a block foundation we have spent the week back filling and levelling the site, setting up form-work as well as laying the polystyrene pods. Meanwhile plumbers have been busy setting up wastes making sure all required under floor pipework is in place.

Provided the good run of weather continues this week we should see final preparation of the steel reinforcing while the plumbers lay pipework for the underfloor heating system.

Basically an Allied SUPERslab design is an engineered floor system which sits on top of an excavated flat site and incorporates a grid of concrete beams formed between 220mm high polystyrene pods with an 85mm top floor layer. Ultimately resulting in a stronger and better insulated floor than a conventional 100mm floor design.

Typical layout of a pod floor with beams formed between pods.

We have worked recently with Allied Concrete Blenheim to try and promote the use and benefits of the system, although widely known about it is sometimes thought to be a more expensive option. We believe however we can produce a SUPERslab design for a very competitive price. From around $95 per square metre for a 150-200 square metre house to around $85 per meter for houses 300 metres in area and larger. Pricing ultimately depending on final design. Although incorporating an increase in steel and concrete main savings are made in excavation costs and labour. With a standard house taking usually 3 days to complete. As opposed to several weeks for a conventional foundation and floor design. In the end you also end up with a better product. Allied are also currently using 300mm high polystyrene pod design in Christchurch as a stronger option as well as designing a completely insulated floor system.

For more information check out the Allied website the Expol website or simply get in touch with us via contact page on our website.

Mark

Earlier in the year John and myself spent around 8 weeks working in Christchurch scoping houses as part of the reconstruction process. We were contracting on behalf of MWH  Mainzeal who are responsible for the reconstruction of houses for several insurance companies. Basically our role was to “scope” houses, quantify damage to the houses and land and the remedial action required. Which ranged from basic repainting of a room to uplifting a house for repairs and in some situations make a recommendation that a total rebuild was a more economic or practical option than repairs.

All houses whether 90m3 villas or 700m3 executive houses were assessed using the same systematic process. Each house was checked for level using a zip-level and walls checked for plumb to determine which walls were racked. The damage and remedial action was all recorded in codes easily understandable for people behind desks with no practical building experience, from which costings for repairs would be made. Although the process for scoping each house was uniform, damage to houses was far from it. It could range from cracking in gib-board joints to foundations completely blown apart.

First impression of seeing Christchurch since the February earthquake was simply the share scale of damage. The amount of houses damaged and roads and services effected. You begin to get an appreciation for how long rebuilding of the city and suburbs will take. Visiting individual houses and recognizing the work required to repair homes further reinforced this. Houses requiring uplifting to repair foundations and piles as well as houses requiring removal of brick veneers seemed countless.

From a builders perspective it was an interesting experience and gave an indication of how building materials and practices stand up to such an event. It was encouraging to see how well houses of timber framed construction had coped with the stresses put upon them. Houses which on first impressions looked write-offs and had completely shifted of their foundations and were hundreds of millimeters out of level. But on viewing the inside, damage was surprisingly little. The most simple conclusion to make is that no matter how well a house may be built it is the land which it sits on that will ultimately determine how it will fare in a large earthquake.

We are very proud of the reputation our father has built over the years and never had any doubt about changing the fundamental ideas in which the business has operated. An emphasis on high quality work and maintaining quality service throughout the building process as well as afterwards.

We have recently begun construction of another house on Wrekin road in Fairhall as well as finishing off other projects. John and I have also spent several weeks assessing earthquake damaged houses in Christchurch. A very interesting exercise from a builders perspective.

Mark Thompson

With cladding complete our focus will be on interior linings. Ply wood, gib board, rimu t and g and bricks will all be used as part of the interior linings.

Click on the photos below for a better look progress so far

Check out the photos below for an idea of recent progress

With one crew working at Double Cove over the past few weeks, another crew have been working on a large home situated overlooking the Wairau Plain on Wrekin Road near Fairhall.  The project is now nearing readiness for the roofing, with all wall framing and structural steel in position. Butyl membrane is used on one small area with the roof being predominantly  5 rib zincalume. One interesting aspect of the design being the internal gutters concealed  behind cedar fascia. There are many other unique features of this house which I will touch on as the project progresses. The home promises a fantastic final product with amazing views of the Wairau Valley with the North Island also clearly visible.

Early last week saw the 3rd barge load of material lifted by helicopter onto site at Double Cove. Mainly structural steel, framing timber and ply. In all over 55 lifts took place in just over 2 hours.

Over the following 2 days we worked alongside a team from Eckford Engineering to position the majority of the structural steel into place. With this now in position, construction of the floor areas has begun.  We have started forming the lower floor framing which is standard joist design. Other areas will utilise Hunterbond engineered timber flooring, this can be seen in photos of a previous post. Once these areas are complete we will follow on with wall framing to all areas.

With plenty to keep us busy at the moment we are currently working with one team full time at Double Cove. While another team is working on another new home at Wrekin Road, Fairhall. Currently at framing stage i hope to get some photos of this project posted later in the week.

Mark.